Whenever I feel like I've been dealt with unfairly or stupidly I try to be proactive and actually change the course of events, if you will, or at least let someone know that they screwed up and allow them the opportunity to make nice with me.
If nothing else, it makes me feel better.
So, after my dealings with the Dare County Restaurant Association's Taste of the Beach, which, so far, has been a total bust for me, I penned off two letters (well typed one email and copied and pasted another), one to the DCRA administration email address and another to the
DCRA president's email.
We'll wait and see what happens.
Here's the text of my letter:
To whom it may concern:
On February 27, I went online and signed up for several different classes being offered by the the Dare County Restaurant Association's Taste of the Beach. The first one, Learning the Secrets of Seafood, was incorrectly listed as being held on Monday, March 3, from 4 to 6. On Monday, I drove the twenty miles to Manteo. As I was pulling into the parking lot of COA at 3:45, I received a call from Priscilla at Music Today ticketing, informing me that the class was supposed to be held Friday, not Monday. I thanked her for her advance notice and drove the twenty miles back home.
I was looking forward to the second class I had signed up for, Learning the Basics of Soups, Stocks, and Sauces, to be held this morning, March 6 from 10-12. When I arrived at the College of the Albemarle, I was informed that the class had been cancelled since only 2 people had signed up. Another 40 miles wasted, not to mention my time.
My last complaint concerns the "service fees" charged by Music Today to process my orders. With such a high percentage being charged, one would think that better proofreading, scheduling, and notification of cancelled classes would be provided. Even though Music Today is a third party vendor and not a part of the DCRA, the poor service I have received from them reflects negatively on the Taste of the Beach and the DCRA as its sponsor.
It might behoove you to find out how the North Carolina Aquarium promotes their cooking series. I've attended numerous classes there and they're always full and have a waiting list.
Obviously, my "Taste of the Beach" has left a bad taste in my mouth.
Sincerely,
Name
Address
Phone Number
City, State, Zip
EMail Address
What ... You thought I was going to put my real name, address, and phone number out there?
Niece Hawthorne thought I should have put "Food Blogger" next to my name to give me some credibility which I otherwise don't have. But then they'd probably want to know my blog and I'm not sure that's all that credible-ful either.
ETA: Please note: Mr. Sproul contacted me by phone within hours of my email to him. I was impressed. He was apologetic, although it really wasn't his fault, and very gracious to me. He offered me tickets at the door for the EXPO event Sunday night at Kelly's Restaurant. Any sour taste in my mouth has been turned around to sweet. Mr. Sproul wanted to know about any problems and thanked me for bringing them to his attention. A very nice gentleman. And now, Rosie is happy.
1 comment:
Go get 'em Rosie.
You'd think with as much money as they spent on promoting this event, they could have at least taken the time to make sure the info was accurate.
Don't even get me started on the outrageous service fee.
Did they not know until this morning when you arrived that the class had been cancelled? You should have asked them to conduct the class anyway, since you were already there, hungry for knowledge (and seafood).
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